Lady Vols earn first ranked win against Iowa in Brooklyn under Kim Caldwell

NEW YORK – The Lady Vols passed another important test early on Kim Caldwell’s Term.

Tennessee went to Brooklyn to face the 17th ranked team Iowa and won 78-68.

This is the first time the Lady Vols (7-0) will travel away from Knoxville this season. The different landscape didn’t seem to affect Tennessee in its win over the Hawkeyes (8-1).

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

The Lady Vols’ win was based on their incredible ability to use pressing and trapping to force turnovers. Tennessee scored 30, which led to 42 points.

Most of the points went to the Lady Vols Talaysia Cooper. She finished the game with 23 points, including 19 in the second half.

There were behind her Ruby Whitehorn, Samara Spencer And Tess Darby. Whitehorn finished the game with 16 points after dropping 13 points in the first half. Spencer and Darby finished 11th.

As a team, Tennessee shot 39% from the field and 24.1% from 3-pointers. However, the 27 more shots than Iowa made up for the poor efficiency. The Hawkeyes shot 46% from the field and 21.4% on 3-pointers.

Tennessee immediately took an 8-0 lead against Iowa. However, this wouldn’t last long. The Hawkeyes traded baskets with the Lady Vols before going on an 8-0 run of their own to tie the game at 10-0.

At the end of the first quarter, Iowa had built a slight lead over Tennessee after a 7-0 run at the end of the frame. That left the Hawkeyes ahead by four.

The Lady Vols stormed back in the second quarter and tied the game at halftime. Whitehorn went on a personal 6-0 run late in the period to take a one-point lead before a free throw increased it again.

Whithorn’s 13 points led Tennessee at the break on 6-for-14 shooting. No other player reached double figures in points at the time, but Spencer managed seven points.

The Lady Vols made a push behind Cooper in the third period. She scored nine points in the quarter and helped Tennessee build a 55-52 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

The fourth quarter was back and forth, but it was Cooper again who helped create separation. She helped lead an 11-0 run down the stretch that gave Tennessee an eight-point lead with less than a minute and a half to play.

The Lady Vols won the game by 10 points.

After two tough non-conference games against State of Florida and Iowa, Tennessee will have a much easier test next time in court. The Lady Vols return home to face off North Carolina Central on December 14 at 2 p.m. ET on SECN+.

After that, Tennessee faces its first real test drive under Caldwell. The Lady Vols will travel to face Memphis at FedEx Forum on December 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN+.